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The V8 in the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS convertible is rated at 426 hp.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: I spent a weekend in this eye-catching 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS convertible, and it stands out on the road and at speed.

The biggest question is, would someone lay out 43 large for a Camaro? That's approaching Chevrolet Corvette territory in my book. On the other hand, you're getting a Vette engine (the LS3), to the tune of 6.2 liters and 426 hp. Blasting into open spaces and carving up traffic is no trouble. The six-speed is an eager partner, and the shifts are quick and easy. The steering is a touch light but offers more than adequate response.

I found the chassis to be sporty and stiff but not abusive. Overall, I grade this Camaro a touch ahead of the Ford Mustang GT convertible that we had in the fleet recently. It's purely my opinion, but the Chevy has more gravitas and is a touch more refined. The Mustang is buffer and even more athletic in corners, but in a purely subjective matter, the bow-tie muscle car was the most fun for me.

I was impressed with the details of the SS stitching and light pipes on the door panels, but as for the ragtop--not so much. It rattled and blew on the expressway and seemed to take a while to open and close. Still, it's a convertible, so that's a fair tradeoff. The Camaro SS is a blast. It has some faults, but they don't outweigh the fun factor.

First, look at the curb weight of this hippo--more than 4,100 pounds! Those 426 horses feel more like 326. A sports car should shoot for about 3,000 pounds, and then hit a little higher because of safety concerns. The regular SS Camaro weighs about 3,900, which is still heavy, but it makes up a little in stiffness. This thing wobbles all over the broken pavement. For comparison, the Ford Mustang GT coupe weighs 3,600 and the drop-top comes in at just more than 3,700 with a manual transmission.

It's also too expensive. More than 40 grand seems crazy for this kind of performance. As Greg said, a few (seven) grand more and you can be in a Vette, where 426 hp feels like 500 hp. Or you can grab a Mustang for less.

All that being said, the drop-top Camaro is a sharp-looking ride. The seats feel good and the SS stitching in the headrests is pretty cool.

The body looks good, too, as long as the top is down. Almost all convertibles seem (to me) like they were designed without a top in mind. Once one is put on, the lines are all thrown off.

I feel as I could find a better way to spend $40,000, even if it has to be a convertible.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I guess I get to be the tiebreaker on this 2012 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS convertible. Before I do that, I want to point out the subtle differences on this 2012 version of the Camaro convertible, which just came out for 2011.

For starters, the soft insert on the dash is new. On base models, it's cloth and for uplevel models like the 2LT and this 2SS, it's vinyl. Now instead of the Camaro's dashboard looking like a giant plastic log, it's appears a touch more upscale and not so inexpensive. In addition, the instrument panel was reworked with easier-to-read graphics. Also gone is the oddly shaped and deeply dished steering wheel, replaced with a wheel that feels much more comfortable in your hands. I'm pretty sure it's the same steering wheel found in the Chevrolet Equinox, but that's fine with me. Heck, the Corvette still has the steering wheel from the Cobalt, right? OK, that's not cool, but moving on.

Jake pointed out exactly what I was thinking after driving the 2011 version of this convertible: It's substantially heavier than the Ford Mustang convertible. Part of that is because the Camaro is just heavy to begin with, but then Chevy had to beef up the chassis in key areas to make up for the missing fixed roof. For starters, there is a shock-tower brace under the hood, the transmission support was made stronger, the driveshaft tunnel was stiffened and rear underbody braces were added.

However, I think this Camaro convertible handles itself real well around town. In fact, it's better than the Mustang drop-top, in my opinion. The suspension is unchanged from the coupe, so it's soft and rolls around corners, which isn't great if you intend to do some corner carving, but it's good if you just want to roll around town and enjoy a nice summer or fall night. The latter is what most convertible shoppers are looking for. With the SS you have 6.2-liter V8 with 426 hp on tap to slingshot you away from a stoplight, and that's most likely what a typical Camaro convertible owner's performance driving will be.

Here are some other driving observations: Steering feel and response is numb, the six-speed manual's shifter isn't as precise as I would like it, the brake pedal is squishy but there is confident stopping power and the engine packs plenty of power for this car's purposes. If you want more power, then the ZL1 convertible is on its way.

If you're looking for a convertible cruiser and want to get noticed, this Camaro fits the bill perfectly. If you want your drop-top to have a more inspiring drive quality, then I would tell you to go with the Ford.

So is this Chevy convertible worth it? I'm going to say yes for the vast majority of open-top shoppers.